Housing Rights responds to DSD's consultation on regulatory framework for social housing providers

Housing Rights has responded to the Department for Social Development's consultation on Proposals for a New Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers in Northern Ireland. The key proposals in the consultation document are:

• To move away from a compliance-based regulatory system to a risk-based system. This would involve less planned inspections and rely more on landlords providing annual information about their performance.
• A set of three new standards – consumer, governance and financial.
• A new rating system to reflect how landlords meet the standards.
• A range of possible enforcement actions which will be available to the Regulator.

We welcome the proposals contained in the consultation and understand the need to reform the regulatory process; especially in light of the bigger programme of social housing reform.

What Housing Rights wants in the Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers in Northern Ireland

We made the following key points in our consultation response.

• It is important that all tenants and services users of social landlords can expect to receive the same level and quality of service, regardless of the landlord.
• It is positive that the proposed consumer standard has been given prominence in the proposals. We would like to see these widely publicised and promoted to ensure that tenants and other service users are aware of the standards, and can assess how landlords are meeting them.
• There is some concern that the move to a risk-based system could disadvantage tenants, particularly if the Regulator is only required to step in where there has been or is a risk of serious detriment.
• There is a need for tenants and service users to be involved in the regulation of landlords. This will protect consumers and enhance services.
• The Regulator should have access to a range of powers when enforcing the standards, but we would ask for reassurance that the Regulator can step in before matters reach a critical point.
• The interests of homeless people as consumers, needs to be protected by the new regulatory regime in the same way as the rights of tenants and other service users.

This consultation exercise did not look at who would actually carry out the regulatory functions. We believe in order to ensure consumer and lender confidence, any regulator needs to be independent and free from any perceived Government constraints and conflicts of interest.

Next stage of the Social Housing Reform Programme

The next stage of the Social Housing Reform Programme will be a review of the rent setting policy for social housing. The Department is due to present their proposals to the Social Development Committee on 18th June. Follow us on twitter to keep up to date with developments in the Social Housing Reform Programme.

Read Housing Rights' response to the Department for Social Development's consultation on Proposals for a New Regulatory Framework for Social Housing Providers in Northern Ireland.